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Communications 33
COMMUNICATIONS
The Department of Communications (DoC) was fully focused
on consolidating the transformation of the information and
communication technology (ICT) sector while extending ICT
services to all South Africans.
In May 2013, the combined new institution which brings
together the Institute for Satellite and Software applications,
the former eSkills Institute and National Electronic Media
Institute of South Africa (Nemisa) as one body was launched.
The National ICT Forum was to be launched in early 2014.
It is estimated that the ICT industry in South Africa contrib-
utes about 7% to the national gross domestic product. The
DoC prioritised three flagship programmes that are at the
core of building a digital information and knowledge society.
This includes the acceleration of building a modern digital
infrastructure, as well as the policy reforms that position the
country for an advanced knowledge economy by 2030.
These programmes are:
• developing a national integrated ICT policy
• rolling out a national broadband network
• implementing the digital broadcasting migration policy.
The mobile revolution has brought many benefits of the mod-
ern ICT industry to billions of people. The next crucial step
is to replicate the mobile miracle for broadband by ensuring
access to cheaper, faster, better quality broadband.
Role players
The public entities and state-owned enterprises that report
to the Minister of Communications are: the Independent
Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), the South
African Post Office (Sapo), Sentech, the South African
Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), the National Electronic
Media Institute of South Africa (Nemisa), the Universal
Service and Access Agency of South Africa (Usaasa), and
the .za Domain Name Authority (.zaDNA).
South African Post Office
Post offices have become important service-delivery centres
offering South Africans a convenient place to accept and
deliver cash-on-delivery items, which is a very important
service in rural communities where some people shop from
catalogues.
More than a million South Africans walk through the doors
of post offices near where they live to access their social
grants.
Post offices also offer services that include enabling
South Africans to renew their vehicle registration and pay
their municipal accounts and television licences. In the
last financial year, the Sapo was responsible for allocating
1,2 million addresses, mainly to those in rural areas.
Pocket Guide to South Africa 2013/14 34
The Sapo licensed a digital mail offering, RiposteTrEx, from
Escher Group in December 2013. Through the platform, the
Sapo will be able to provide e-registered mail services to the
country’s more than 51 million citizens, delivered directly to
digital devices.
Mail Business has 26 mail sorting centres for domestic mail
and parcels, and three for international mail and parcels. Mail
is transported to and from these sorting centres domestically
to 7 188 delivery offices. Specialised Sapo products include:
• Securemail
• Speed Services Couriers
• Parcelplus
• insurance and cash-on-delivery
• Postbank
• a courier freight group made up of XPS and PX
• Docex.
Philatelic Services
The Philatelic Services of the Sapo is responsible for
producing South Africa’s postage stamps and other stamp-
related products. Over the years, many of them have become
valuable collector’s items.
PostBank
The Postbank Limited Act of 2010 allows Sapo, through the
Postbank, to prioritise the banking needs of the unbanked
majority, thus facilitating their inclusion into the economic
mainstream and expanding the existing range of banking
services, including:
• improving access to affordable services, including loans,
especially in rural and lower-income communities
• promoting a culture of saving.
South African Broadcasting
Corporation
Over the past four years, the SABC has installed 104 low
power transmitters reaching 1,5 million more people. Of these
transmitters, 18 were rolled out in the 2012/13 financial year.
By May 2013, the SABC had reached 94% of South Afri-
cans.
In October 2013, government joined the country’s media industry in com-
memorating Media Freedom Day, which resulted in legislative guarantees of
press freedom and editorial independence. The media industry has played
a crucial role in transforming South Africa into a democratic state, and is
currently at the forefront in shaping the public discourse.
35 Pocket Guide to South Africa 2013/14
COMMUNICATIONS
Telkom
Telkom is Africa’s largest integrated communications com-
pany, providing integrated communications solutions to nine
different countries across Africa. The organisational structure
comprises three major business units: Telkom South Africa,
Telkom International and Telkom Data Centre Operations.
However, its core market is South Africa, contributing 98,9%
in revenue.
PostNet
PostNet is South Africa’s largest privately owned counter
network in the document and parcel industry; trading across
more than 250 owner-managed retail stores; serving in excess
of 55 000 customers per day, countrywide; and offering five
product types: courier, copy and print, digital, stationery and
mailboxes.
Sentech
The spending focus over the medium term was on investing
in capital assets to expand the network to new sites in areas
that were previously not covered and preparing for the launch
of the commercial digital terrestrial television. Sentech was
allocated additional funding of R277 million in 2013/14 to
expedite the roll-out of the digital terrestrial television project,
of which R171 million was spent on digitisation and R106 mil-
lion on dual illumination.
National Electronic Media Institute of
South Africa
Nemisa has trained further education and training lecturers
in multimedia in partnership with the Department of Higher
Education and Training.
By October 2013, Nemisa had produced 13 documenta-
ries, each 48 minutes long, as part of the National Digital
Repository Project in partnership with the DoC. Nemisa
alumni constituted 60% of the crew thus contributing to indus-
try development and job creation.
During 2013, Nemisa trained 123 community radio station
personnel from 49 community radio stations in scriptwriting,
audio editing and programme production. This project was in
partnership with the DoC.
Universal Service and Access Agency
of South Africa
Usaasa’s sole mandate is to promote universal service and
access to electronic communications services, electronic
Pocket Guide to South Africa 2013/14 36communications network services and broadcasting services.
The agency is responsible for managing the Universal Service
and Access Fund.
The fund expects to deploy 600 cyberlabs to under-
serviced areas by 2014/15.
In 2013, Usaasa was back on its feet following a series of
governance challenges that led to the appointment of a new
board. In the 2012/13 financial year, Usaasa connected 55
ICT centres and revamped another 80 centres.
Independent Communications
Authority of South Africa
Icasa is the regulator for the South African communications,
broadcasting and postal services sector. In June 2013, Icasa
released details of its Cost to Communicate Programme,
which seeks to review regulations that affect the cost of
communications in South Africa, such as the call termination
regulations and the local loop unbundling framework.
The goals of the programme are to:
• stimulate public debate about the cost to communicate in
South Africa
• establish regulatory needs to address concerns regarding
the cost to communicate in South Africa
• stimulate and enhance competition in the telecommunica-
tions sector
The programme started on 14 June 2013 with a request for
information, and was followed by a series of consultations,
which led to the release of draft regulations for public com-
ment in December 2013. Icasa is expected to publish the final
regulations by April 2014.
South African Accreditation Authority
The South African Accreditation Authority is responsible for
the accreditation of authentication and certification products
and services used in support of electronic signatures. It is
also concerned with monitoring the activities of authentication
and certification service providers whose products or services
have been accredited.
Presidential National Commission (PNC)
on Information Society and Development
(ISAD)
The PNC on ISAD advises the President on matters related
to the development of an inclusive information society; the
coordinated development of an inclusive information society;
and the achievement of the country’s information society
vision. The commission comprises leaders in government,
industry and civil society.
37 Pocket Guide to South Africa 2013/14COMMUNICATIONS
A corresponding body is the Presidential International
Advisory Council on ISAD.
Programmes and initiatives
Broadband Infrastructure Development
Given the strategic importance of broadband, the department,
together with the ICT industry, has committed to delivering
100% broadband penetration and creating a million jobs by
2020. The Broadband Strategy and Implementation Plan,
outlining fibre connectivity across the country to district level,
was finalised by late 2013.
Broadband Infraco
To enhance South Africa’s international connectivity and the
speed of broadband, Broadband Infraco has co-invested with
the private sector in the deployment of the West African Cable
System (WACS).
The WACS is the fifth submarine cable system linking
South Africa to the world. Broadband Infraco’s investment in
the WACS entitled it to 11,4% of the system’s total capacity,
which would help South Africa meet its target of providing
broadband connectivity to all who need it by 2020.
The cable system also has 15 established terminal stations
en route, and will reduce the cost to connect Africa’s west
coast with the high-speed global telecommunications network
for years to come.
Sentech and Broadband Infraco have also commenced
with the broadband plan for the KwaZulu-Natal province pilot
project. Site surveys in three districts are complete.
Broadcasting Digital Migration
The digital broadcasting network reaches more than 80% of
the population.
The DoC has finalised the subsidy plan for poor households
supported by the qualifying criteria and is ready to imple-
ment the Set-Top Box (STB) Manufacturing Strategy, which
requires 30% local content as part of the plan to develop
the electronic industry. Icasa has finalised the broadcasting
regulations.
The department decided to review the policy on the STB
control system as one way of fast-tracking the roll-out of
Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) to make this system
non-mandatory. In addition to the DTT transmission network
roll-out target of 84% population coverage via terrestrial
transmitters by December 2013, Sentech will also launch a
Direct-to-Home satellite broadcasting service.
This service will provide TV and radio coverage to the
Square Kilometre Array and all other areas where there is no
DTT signal.
Pocket Guide to South Africa 2013/14 38Rural Development Strategy
ICTs play a significant role in speeding up the integration of
services for the development of rural areas and ensuring that
rural communities, including those in remote areas, are not left
out of the knowledge economy. The main goal of the depart-
ment’s Rural Development Strategy is therefore to address
the vacuum in rural ICT and empower rural communities by
promoting sustainable job creation and eradicating poverty in
rural areas.
Applications, such as mobile money, do not seem to attract
a wide audience among poorer people.
There are some clear distinctions between urban and rural
mobile phone owners in the low-income groups. In urban
areas, users are knowledgeable about available applications
and use social media and instant messaging to communicate
with friends, watch videos and mix music.
Rural participants, however, are more sceptical about the
value of mobile applications. Those mobile owners who don’t
use the internet are unaware of the applications available.
They rely on traditional media such as newspapers, TV and
radio for information, and on voice and SMS text services to
communicate.
Job creation
In June 2013, Microsoft launched a campaign aimed at help-
ing 3 000 graduates find information technology (IT) jobs in
South Africa.
The software giant will partner with the South African Gov-
ernment’s job creation fund to train the youths and place them
in permanent employment. The company will act as a link
between universities and IT companies that it will approach
to determine needed skills. For the 3 000 jobs it is targeting,
Microsoft is investing R146 million (US$14,6 million) as part
of its US$75 million pan-African initiative.
Communication platforms
Radio
The SABC’s national radio network comprises 18 radio sta-
tions. Fifteen of these are dedicated specifically to public-
service broadcasting and include 11 full-spectrum stations,
.za Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) celebrated 10 years since it was
established in 2003. A legal framework to support the establishment of the
ZA Central Registry – which is intended to uplift the operational standards
in .ZA – is being finalised.
The ZA Central Registry, through ZADNA’s guidance and the African
Union Commission, has made significant progress in its application for the
right to establish and operate a .Africa internet namespace for the benefit
of Africa.
39 Pocket Guide to South Africa 2013/14COMMUNICATIONS
one in each of the official languages of South Africa; a cultural
service for the Indian community broadcasting in English;
a regional community station broadcasting in isiXhosa and
English; and a community station broadcasting in the !Xu and
Khwe languages of the Khoisan of the Northern Cape. The
SABC has three stations in its commercial portfolio. These
are 5FM, Metro FM and Good Hope FM.
Channel Africa broadcasts live on three platforms: short-
wave, satellite and the internet. Its broadcasts are in Chin-
yanja, Silozi, Kiswahili, English, French and Portuguese.
SABC Radio has more than 26 million listeners weekly in
South Africa.
Commercial radio stations
Commercial radio stations in South Africa include:
• Algoa FM
• Classic FM
• Kaya FM
• YFM
• 94.7 Highveld Stereo
• 702 Talk Radio
• Metro FM
• 5FM
• Good Hope FM
• Jacaranda 94.2
• OFM
• East Coast Radio
• 567 Cape Talk
• Radio 2000
• Power FM
• Radio KFM.
Stations such as Jacaranda 94.2, Highveld Stereo, Radio
Oranje, Radio Algoa and East Coast Radio were initially
SABC stations, but were sold to private owners to diversify
radio ownership in South Africa as part of the transformation
of the public broadcaster. Many of South Africa’s radio
stations are available online.
Television
The SABC’s television network comprises three free-to-air
television channels. SABC TV has a weekly audience of
30,248 million (86,6% of adults watch SABC television in
South Africa). South African television is broadcast in all 11
official languages and also in Sign Language. The SABC also
broadcasts a 24-hour news channel on DStv.
Community television
Soweto TV was the first community television station to obtain
a seven-year broadcasting licence from Icasa.
Pocket Guide to South Africa 2013/14 40There are five stations operational in Soweto, Cape Town,
Tshwane, Empangeni and Nelson Mandela Bay. The issuing
of new community television licences is on hold until the
migration from analogue to digital broadcasting is complete.
Free-to-air television
e.tv is South Africa’s first private free-to-air television channel,
launched in 1998. It is the largest English-medium channel
in the country and the second largest overall. e.tv also has a
pan-African presence through e.tv Africa, which is distributed
on the DStv Africa bouquet and by local affiliates in African
countries.
In October 2013, e.tv launched its multichannel offering on
the direct-to-home satellite platform, OpenView HD. The new
channels include a pan-African channel (eAfrica+), a movie
channel (eMovies+), a local content channel (eKasi+) and a
children’s channel (eToonz+).
Satellite broadcasting
e.sat tv supplies television, mobile and online news to various
channels in South Africa, across Africa and in the United King-
dom under the brand name eNews Channel Africa (eNCA).
Growing out of the success of eNews Prime Time, eNCA is
South Africa’s first and most watched independent 24-hour
television news channel on the DStv Platform (Channel 403).
The 24-hour news service is broadcast live in the UK to
over 10,5 million subscribers on the SKY digital satellite
platform. In addition, eNCA provides live news bulletins to
nearly three million South African viewers each night on e.tv
(in English, isiZulu and Sesotho) and to 200 000 Afrikaans
viewers on kykNET.
Internet
In June 2013, Akamai Technologies released its Fourth Quar-
ter, 2012 State of the Internet Report, showing that South
Africa has achieved good improvements in terms of average
Internet access speeds.
Based on data gathered from the Akamai Intelligent Plat-
form, the report provides insight into key global statistics
including connection speeds, attack traffic, and network con-
nectivity and availability.
According to a new report by global management consult-
ing firm, McKinsey & Company titled: Lions go digital: The
Internet’s transformative potential in Africa, South Africa’s
iGDP – which measures the Internet’s contribution to overall
GDP – is at 1,4%, putting it fourth in Africa. Private consump-
tion of internet-related services and equipment, including
smartphones, accounts for two-thirds of this total.
41 Pocket Guide to South Africa 2013/14COMMUNICATIONS
Public expenditure on the internet, including digitisation of
education and health services, contributes only US$2 billion.
e-Commerce will open up a new shopping experience for
Africa’s growing middle class. Out of the 46 countries, South
Africa is ranked as the 12th most affordable country for Inter-
net access – third in Africa.
Broadband access
In November 2013, the DoC introduced the revised broad-
band policy, which deals with the complete value chain of
broadband roll-out, including attracting related investment in
broadband infrastructure; enterprise development; local end-
user equipment manufacturing; research and development;
and reducing the cost of broadband roll-out through the crea-
tion of a single point of entry for regulatory approvals.
The department was expected to finalise, by March 2014,
the long-awaited spectrum policy, which would enable Icasa
to license the much sought-after 2.6 GHz and 800 MHz band
spectrum, which would, in turn, increase network capacity,
improve coverage and promote competition.
Social media
The Top Social Media Sites in South Africa (by number of
users) in 2013 included:
• Facebook: 9,6 million users – ranked third Mxit: 7,4 mil-
lion users – mobi site not ranked Twitter: 5,5 million users
– ranked 13th YouTube: 4,7 million users – ranked fourth
LinkedIn: 2,7 million users – ranked fifth Pinterest: 930 000
users - ranked 14th
• Google Plus: 460 000 users – Google.co.za is ranked 1st,
Google+ is not featured.
Cybercrime and cybersecurity
Cybercrime has become an inevitable reality that confronts all
online communities across the world.
Identity fraud, stalking, online child pornography and terror-
ism have become daily occurrences that threaten communi-
ties’ ability to enjoy the benefits of new technologies.
Expanding access to the internet, must be accompanied
by strong measures to ensure basic trust and security to the
public as the users.
This requires collaboration between departments, civil
society and business to build institutional mechanisms to
investigate cybercrimes and anticipate threats.
Mobile communications
South Africa has one of the largest telecommunications mar-
kets on the continent: it has five mobile operators, namely
Pocket Guide to South Africa 2013/14 42CellC, MTN, Vodacom, Telkom Mobile and virtual network
operator Virgin Mobile.
Mobile phones are the dominant technology for voice and
data communication among base of pyramid (BoP) users and
for informal businesses.
People in this group access the internet mostly via their
mobile phones and smart phones have taken over functions
that used to be done with a computer.
Users are also finding innovative ways to bypass expen-
sive cellphone networks’ SMS rates using Facebook Zero or
other instant message services such as WhatsApp.
Although half of the 50 million people in South Africa
live below the poverty line, more than 75% among those in
low-income groups who are 15 years or older own a mobile
phone. Of low-income groups who own mobile phones in
South Africa, 98,5% have a prepaid SIM card, but there is
a small percentage (1,5%) of BoP mobile owners who have
post-paid contracts.
The lowering of the Mobile Termination Rates from R1,25 a
minute in 2010 to R0,40 from March 2013 represents a signifi-
cant milestone in reducing the cost to communicate.
The media
South Africa is fortunate in having a vibrant and independent
media.
Media Development and Diversity Agency
(MDDA)
The MDDA is a statutory development agency for promoting
and ensuring media development and diversity. The agency
functions independently from and at arm’s length of its
funders, and political-party and commercial interests. This
arrangement enables government, the media industry and
donors to work together to address the legacy of imbalances
in media access.
Print
Newspapers
According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) 2013
Second Quarter Report, total newspapers declined slightly
compared to the previous quarter.
The weekday daily newspapers declined by 0,7% in 2013;
Sunday circulation was down by 1,4%.
Motorsport World and Auto Week showed the largest
growth in weekly newspapers.
Of the weekend newspapers, Isolezwe ngoMgqibelo
showed the largest growth. Local newspapers, Stellalander,
43 Pocket Guide to South Africa 2013/14COMMUNICATIONS
Klerksdorp Rekord, Polokwane Observer and the Hermanus
Times showed the largest growth of all local newspapers.
Of the free newspapers, Alex Pioneer, Threewaterkloof
Gazette, Zululand Eyethu and the Precinct Community News
were the titles that showed the largest growth.
Magazines
The ABC 2013 Second Quarter Report showed that overall
consumer-magazine circulation declined by 13%. Kuier
Combo (Annual), The Expatriate SA (Annual), SA Career
Focus (six monthly) and HQ Pony, showed the largest growth.
Online media
The August 2013 Digital Media and Marketing Association/
Effective Measure website statistics revealed that South
Africa produced 23 183 796 unique browsers registering
633 589 222 page views.
Unique browsers from mobile devices accessed 11 559
199 sites registering 250 566 538 page views.
Media organisations and role players
Print Media South Africa (PMSA) administers individual
bodies, namely the Newspaper Association of South Africa,
the Magazine Publishers’ Association of South Africa and the
Association of Independent Publishers (AIP). Allied to the
PMSA, but not a constituent member, is the ABC, responsible
for auditing and verifying print-media circulation figures.
The AIP represents the interests of more than 250 inde-
pendent publishers in southern Africa.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) was
formed at a meeting of the Black Editors’ Forum, the Confer-
ence of Editors and senior journalism educators and trainers.
The Forum of Black Journalists addresses issues that
directly affect its members.
Members of the public who have complaints or concerns
about reports in newspapers and magazines can submit their
grievances to the Office of the Press Ombudsman.
The Freedom of Expression Institute protects and fosters
the rights to freedom of expression and access to information,
and to oppose censorship.
Another body that protects freedom of speech is the
Freedom of Commercial Speech Trust.
The Forum of Community Journalists is an independent
body that represents, promotes and serves the interests of all
community-newspaper journalists in southern Africa.
The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa
is an independent self-regulatory body that serves as a volun-
tary watchdog, to adjudicate complaints from the public about
Pocket Guide to South Africa 2013/14 44programmes flighted by members who subscribe to its
code of conduct.
The Broadcasting Monitoring Complaints Committee was
established under sections 21 and 22 of the Independent
Broadcasting Authority Act of 1993.
The National Community Radio Forum lobbies for the
airwaves in South Africa to be diversified, and for a dynamic
broadcasting environment through the establishment of
community radio stations.
Other press organisations operating in the country are
the Foreign Correspondents’ Association of South Africa,
the Printing Industries Federation of South Africa, the South
African Typographical Union, the Specialist Press Associa-
tion, the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists, Profes-
sional Photographers of South Africa, the Media Institute of
Southern Africa, the Publishers’ Association of South Africa
and press clubs in major centres.
News agencies
The national news agency, the South African Press
Association, is a cooperative, non-profit organisation. The
main foreign news agencies operating in South Africa are:
• Reuters
• Agence France-Presse
• Associated Press
• Deutsche Presse Agentur
• United Press International.
Journalism awards
South Africa’s most important awards include the:
• Mondi Shanduka Newspaper Awards
• Sappi Magazine Publishers Association of South Africa
PICA Awards
• Sanlam Community Press Awards
• Vodacom Awards for Journalism Across All Mediums
• South African Breweries Journalism Awards
• Sanlam’s Financial Journalist of the Year Award
• CNN MultiChoice Africa Awards
• Discovery Health Journalism Awards
• Sanef’s Nat Nakasa Award for media integrity.
South Africans, Msindisi Fengu and Yandisa Monakali from
The Daily Dispatch, were named overall winners of the CNN
MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2013.
Media awards
In October 2013, the MDDA and Sanlam, co-sponsors
and organisers of the MDDA-Sanlam Local Media Awards,
announced that they would invest more in the awards by
introducing new categories for the competition.
45 Pocket Guide to South Africa 2013/14COMMUNICATIONS
The 2013 awards, which would be presented in May 2014,
cover the period from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013.
Advertising
South Africa has a vibrant and dynamic advertising industry.
Local advertising agencies are often recognised interna-
tionally for their excellence.
In May 2013, the Advertising Standards Authority of South
Africa applied to be recognised as an ombud for the industry.
This would make it a recognised statutory body in terms of the
Consumer Protection Act of 2008.
Advertising awards
The Loerie Awards are the best-known South African awards
recognising distinction in advertising. In September 2013, a
total of 238 birds were awarded, four of which were Grands
Prix – to Draftfcb Cape Town, Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town,
and FoxP2 respectively.
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